spine

  • noun 1 a series of vertebrae extending from the skull to the small of the back, enclosing the spinal cord and providing support for the thorax and abdomen; the backbone. 2 a central feature or main source of strength. 3 the part of a book that encloses the inner edges of the pages. 4 chiefly Zoology & Botany a prickle or other hard pointed projection or structure.

  — ORIGIN Latin spina ‘thorn, backbone’.

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